Close
Minerals.net
Complete Information Guide to Rocks, Minerals, & Gemstones
Minerals
Minerals & Varieties
View All Minerals
View by Alphabetical Order
Varieties and Other Names
Mineral Search
Filter Minerals
Filter by Chemical Group
Filter by Color
Filter by Streak
Filter by Hardness
Filter by Crystal Group
Most Visited Minerals
Quartz
Diamond
Pyrite
Gold
Fluorite
Amethyst
Gypsum
Calcite
Galena
Talc
Gemstones
Gemstones
View All Gemstones
Gemstone Varieties
This Month's Birthstone
Garnet
Gemstones By Color
Metallic
White
Colorless
Blue
Red
Green
Yellow
Orange
Pink
Purple
Banded
Multicolored
Most Visited Gemstones
Ruby
Sapphire
Topaz
Agate
Garnet
Quartz
Tourmaline
Jasper
Zircon
Emerald
Research
What is a Rock & What is a Mineral
Mineral Properties
Color
Streak
Hardness
Specific Gravity
Luster
Cleavage, Fracture
Tenacity
Chemical Properties of Minerals
Birthstones
Top 5 Tips for Diamond Buying
Trends in Mineral Collecting
All Research Topics
Q&A
View Posted Questions
Ask A Question
Most Popular Questions
Newest Questions
News
News Blog
Twitter News Feed
Follow us on Pinterest
Glossary
Photo Gallery
Gallery Home
Mineral Photo Gallery
Gemstone Photo Gallery
Videos
View All Videos
View Minerals.net Videos
View Our YouTube Channel
Directory
Add Your Free Listing
Gemstones
Mineral Dealers
Online Reference Sites
Mineral Publications
Museums
Gemstone Blogs
Gemstone Show
Advertising Information
The Gemstone Spessartite (Garnet)
Spessartite is an orange to orange-red form of the gemstone
Garnet
. The term Garnet describes a group name for several closely related minerals that form important gemstones, and Spessartite is an individual member mineral of the Garnet group. Spessartite is synonymous with Spessartine, though in the gem trade the name
Spessartite
is more frequently used, and in the mineral trade the term
Spessartine
is more frequently used. The term Spessartite is often identified together with the Garnet name and called
Spessartine Garnet
in the trade.
Chemical Formula
Mn
3
Al
2
Si
3
O
12
Color
Red, Yellow, Orange, Brown, Pink
Hardness
7
Crystal System
Isometric
Refractive Index
1.795 - 1.815
SG
4.1 - 4.2
Transparency
Transparent
Double Refraction
None
Luster
Adamantine
Cleavage
None
Mineral Class
Spessartine
(
Garnet
)
Spessartite
AUCTIONS
ALL ABOUT
Natural Spessartite has an orange color, but iron
impurities
are usually present, which give it an reddish-orange or brownish-orange color.
Pure
orange Spessartite is not common; reddish, brownish or yellowish tints are frequent. Its most desirable color is a fiery-red with slight orange tints. Spessartite has an exceptionally high
refractive index
, giving cut Spessartite gemstones a special brilliance.
Once fairly uncommon in gem-grade transparent specimens, many new deposits of large facetable Spessartite crystals with excellent color have been discovered, are are making this form of Garnet more readily available and mainstream. A very important deposit of this gemstone was discovered in the 1960's in the Umba River Valley of Tanzania and Kenya. The trade name of
Malaya Garnet
(or
Malaia Garnet
) was coined to describe these new African Garnets. Malaya Garnets are not
pure
Spessartite, but are
intermediary
between Spessartite and
Pyrope
, though closer in
chemical composition
to Spessartite.
USES
Spessartite is gaining popularity as a beautiful orange-red gemstone, and can be used in all forms of jewelry especially in rings and pendants. It is also polished into
cabochon
s for rings and bracelets.
OTHER NAMES
Spessartine
VARIETIES
Malaia Garnet
-
Synonym of
Malaya Garnet
.
Malaya Garnet
-
Reddish-orange form of
Spessartite
Garnet
(or more accurately a mixture
intermediary
between Spessartite and
Pyrope
) that originates in the Umba River Valley in Tanzania and Kenya. This term is sometimes also used as a synonym for Spessartite.
Mandarin Garnet
-
Bright orange to orange-red
Spessartite
Garnet
, usually originating from the African countries of Namibia and Mozambique.
Mandarin Spessartite
-
Synonym of
Mandarin Garnet
.
Namibian Spessartite
-
Bright orange-red
Spessartite
Garnet
from Namibia.
Tangerine Garnet
-
Light orange to orange-yellow
Spessartite
Garnet
, usually originating from the African countries of Namibia and Mozambique.
Spessartite
TREATMENTS AND ENHANCEMENTS
Spessartite is is not enhanced and its beautiful colors are always natural.
Spessartite
SOURCES
Important Spessartite sources are in Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia, Mozambique, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Brazil, and the U.S. (California).
SIMILAR GEMSTONES
Orange and orange-red Spessartite can be similar to
Zircon
,
Spinel
and
Tourmaline
. It can also be very similar to
Fire Opal
, though Fire Opal has a much lower hardness. Spessartite can also resemble
Topaz
as well as certain reddish forms of
heat treated
Citrine
.
Spessartite
PHOTOS
[Click photos for more details]
Spessartite
IN THE ROUGH PHOTOS
[Click photos for more details]
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The mineral Spessartine
The gemstone Garnet
The mineral Garnet
DISCUSSION
View Forum
|
Post to Forum
Have a question about Spessartite? Visit our
Q&A Community
and ask the experts!
PAGE SPONSOR
To sponsor this page,
click here
.
Let us know how we can update this page
(Click for more details)
We strive for accurate content and locality information. If you feel any of the content is incorrect, or if you feel we are missing vital locality information, please fill out the form below so we can update the site. If you are requesting a locality be added, please only include
significant
locality occurences for the mineral.
Amazon Supply Store
Hammers, Chisels, Loupes, Cotton-filled boxes, etc.
Recommended Reading
Our Recommended Book Selection at Amazon.com
Support Minerals.net
Financial Donations and Collection Acquisitions
Loading...